Feb 7, 2012

Coconut milk, thyme, scallions and scotch bonnet peppers give this rice dish an island flair! The perfect side dish to Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken, or enjoy this as a meatless main dish with a simple avocado and tomato salad on the side. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free!

Rice and beans are a staple in most Latin and Caribbean countries because they are inexpensive and nutritious. Beans are an excellent source of fiber, protein and complex carbohydrates.

The rice is not spicy since the pepper is cooked whole for added flavor and is discarded before it's finished. Of course, if you want a spicy rice dish, you could chop the scotch bonnet and add it to the rice, but be warned, it will be hot!

You can easily make half the recipe for less servings, but sometimes using a half a can of coconut milk could be such a waste, so I find it easier to make more and save the rest for leftovers.

In a medium heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; add garlic, scallion, onion and thyme. Sauté a few minutes, then add rice, beans and stir.

Add the coconut milk, water, salt and fresh pepper and place the whole scotch bonnet pepper in the pot, stir to combine and bring to a boil.

Remove and discard the hot pepper and continue to cook the rice until almost all the liquid is absorbed and just skims the top.

Cover; reduce heat to low; simmer for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and keep covered for 10 additional minutes to allow the steam to finish cooking the rice (do not be tempted to lift the lid before that). Serve hot.

I just actually got back from Jamaica about a week ago. They called it Rice and Peas when we were there and this was pretty much the same dish. The chef at the resort we stayed at said they added coconut milk to pretty much every dish too.

Okay this is not the right way to do this recipe. Before you even add the rice all the other ingridents have to cook in the coconut milk first. The beans will release some of it color into the milk. Once the milk changes in color then add the rice. The flavor is more intense and the rice will take on some of the color as well. This is how we always do it in the islands...

Thank you so much, Gina! I'm Jamaican, and have been looking for a healthier way to cook cuisines from my country! It looks delicious. I'll definitely let you know how both recipes (this and the Brown Stew Chicken) taste. Thanks again. Your website is wonderful!

I love your recipes, you keep us eating less processed foods. They are delicious. I made this and the chicken tonight and they were to die for I didnt have any of the peppers you had but used jalepeno's and the stew was hot just the way I like it. Thank you!!!

If you don't care for killer hot food, you may want to use a jalapeno instead. Habanero and Scotch Bonnet are some of the hottest peppers in the world!! If you drop it in whole and do not puncture the pepper, the dish may not be killer hot; I'm not sure as I steer clear of these 2. I sell peppers for a living and have a good tolerance for chiles, but those are off my list. If you cut it open, be sure to wash your hands including under your finger nails, cutting board and knife thoroughly before touching eyes and other tender tissues. I actually have a box of disposable surgical gloves for use with chilies and raw chicken. That's a tip from a chef I work with. I'm not trying to scare the heck out of anyone. Just a warning for those who love Skinnytaste and may not be familiar with this type of chile.

Yum! I could totally picture myself making this while listening to island music..lol. Loving all the tropical themed dishes! And, this one is vegetarian friendly! :) Thanks!~Charityhttp://tiredofbeingtubby.wordpress.com/

Hi there! Thanks for your awesome recipes! I have a question for you though- is there a way to print your recipes without all of the pics, pictures, etc? More like a traditional recipe print out? I love the pics and comments but really want a shorter form for my cookbook. Thanks!

I actually made this recipe this week and I have to say it was very easy. To top it off it was DELICIOUS!!By the third day it was DIVINE! I love this site and have made other dishes and I’m always amazed that something that is healthy can taste sooo good! It’s helping stick to my Weight Watcher Plan!!

Gina, I love your recipes! I am a vegetarian and a Registered Dietitian, and I'm enjoying making tons of your recipes. I made this dish last night, but I chopped up 2 scotch bonnet peppers and 1 jalapeño and added scotch bonnet pepper hot sauce to it. We love spicy! I also used brown rice, but sadly the rice didn't turn out great, so I will have to play around w/ the recipe some more. The flavors in this dish were great. We visited Jamaica 2 years ago and can't wait to go back. Thank you for your amazing recipes!

I make it with brown rice all the time, using basically this same recipe, minus the onion and garlic. I use a rice cooker and it comes out perfect every time. In fact, you really can't tell it's brown rice, it tastes completely authentic. I also add a few whole allspice berries and cook dried peas and add a few spoonfuls in addition to some of the boiling water to give the rice that pinkish color.

This is a good start for a recipe, but if you want to eat it on its own it is very underseasoned (like many recipes on this site). I used brown basmati rice, and it was very good. I added 2 chopped jalapeno peppers, increased the garlic to 3 cloves and the onion to a whole onion and 4 scallions, and added dried thyme. I also toasted the rice separately and added it to the mixture once the beans released their color. I topped it with chopped cilantro. In the future, I would use 2 cans of coconut milk rather than 1, and decrease the water.

After reading the comments and looking up similar recipes, I made the following adjustments and it came out delish!

-I toasted the rice first-Cooked with 2 chopped jalepeno peppers-Let everything but the rice cook in the coconut milk and water uintl the beans released some color-Used 2 cans light coconut milk and 1 1/4 cups water

Method1. Drain the liquid from the can of beans into a measuring cup andadd the can of coconut milk and enough water to make four cups of liquid2. Add liquid, beans, chopped onion and thyme to large pot3. Add salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.4. Add rice and boil on High for 2 minutes.5. Turn heat to Low, and cook covered until all water is absorbed (about 15 to 20 min).6. Fluff with fork before serving.

I followed the recipe but used the brown rice and added 1/2 cup as per Gina's suggestion in the comment. It was way too much liquid and would not dry out. I suggest not adding the 1/2 cup and cook as the recipe suggests.

I also used instant brown rice. Very good! Not authentic like the others have suggested but still a great alternative for us island folks who want to eat a healthier version.

Gina, Thanks for the lightened up version of one of my favorite rice dishes. I have done my own experimentation with the same ingredients, yet I'm one of those cooks who never writes down what I do. This is why we have blogs like yours. Love your site!!!

I had to add an additional teaspoon of oil. Even with my burner on low, it was not enough to stop the onions from browning very quickly. though I used dry thyme and maybe it was the moisture in the fresh thyme that allows for only 1 t. of oil.